


If You Like Pina Colada

by TheLetterY



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Idiots in Love, Keith your desperation is showing, Lance thinks too much, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pining Keith (Voltron), Pining Lance (Voltron), Tooth-Rotting Fluff, letters to Allura, mentions of past Allura and Lance, s8, the beach plus Keith make Lance weak
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-14
Updated: 2019-01-14
Packaged: 2019-10-09 14:11:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,144
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17408375
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheLetterY/pseuds/TheLetterY
Summary: Lance was falling in deep, it makes him wonder sometimes if there was a limit to how long a person could fall, wonders when he will hit the cold hard ground. Maybe, he thinks, that the cold hard ground will be a lot more inviting if he knew what was awaiting him. And maybe, he could reach that place together with Keith. Falling won't be as terrifying, not when someone was falling with you.Or Keith visits Lance and old feelings are brought back into play while Lance rants to Allura by writting her letters





	If You Like Pina Colada

**Author's Note:**

> If I'm too be honest, my half asleep state of mind comes up with the best scenes while also simultaneously failing to comprehend proper grammar, which then leads me to lots of editing the next day. And yet I still trust my half asleep mind more than my fully awake mind...
> 
> The title of the fic could be worse, I could have named it Thank You. Next but even my half asleep mind thought that was ridiculous.
> 
> Is anyone even still reading klance fics?

Lance loves the feeling of sand in between his toes, loves to curl them and feel the rough texture against the skin of his feet. The prickling feeling on his skin left by the afternoon sun's rays makes him feel alive, makes him feel at _home_. The smell of the ocean, salty and wet, stretching towards the horizon where the sky meets the sea, bathed in the orange and yellow from the setting sun looked so picturesque that one could mistaken it as a painting.

But Lance is here, living and breathing the experience he had from the memories of his childhood. The place where he fell and scraped his knee while trying to climb the rocky terrain to catch up to his brother when he was seven, the place where countless barbecues with his family took place and the place where he taught his niece and nephew to swim just last week. Laughter is always heard in these memories, the fondness he feels when he recalls either swallowing a mouthful of sea water or finding seashells on the seashore with Veronica.

There is even laughter now, the high pitched squeals of Slyvio and Nadia in the distance. He watches them with a melancholy ache in his chest, remembering his youth, remembering how much he missed home.

He looks back at the setting sun, a reminder that it was time to head on home for dinner. So he rises from where he was seated, dusting off sand from his pants and legs and turning to call his nephew and niece to head home when he notices the lack of laughter and little limbs splashing about. He blinks, trudging over to where he last saw them, only pausing to stare in shock at the sight of Keith kneeling and talking to them both.

His hair is slightly longer, untamed and looks as if it could use a trim, but if Lance were being honest, he wouldn't have it any other way. The shock and adrenaline of seeing him still lingers a lot longer than necessary, because some how Keith looks breathtaking, and Lance can't help but stare. He's clad in his Blade Of Marmora uniform, the remaining sunlight dusting across his features and highlighting any exposed surface of his entire being.

"Tio Lance!" The sound of his nephew is like a spear, piercing through his barrier of daze and wonderment. Nadia is running towards him then, throwing herself against Lance's legs and giggling when her brother joins as well.

"Lance," a familiar voice carries to him, and it's like he's been cast under a spell. His gaze meets Keith's, eyes as dark and mysterious and vast like space. If Lance didn't know any better he would say that he was spellbound, locked under soft gazes that blend distractedly with the sun's remaining light.

Then he finds himself grinning, grinning so wide that his cheeks hurt. "Keith," he says, gently prodding Slyvio and Nadia to let go of his legs so he could head over to him.

"Tio Lance, Mr. Keith says he came to visit you!" Slyvio exclaims, grinning wide up at Lance with a missing tooth on the top row of his front teeth.

"Did he now?" Lance says, once again meeting Keith's gaze with a teasing smirk in place, finding 'Mr. Keith' more amusing than he should.

Keith rolls his eyes, a fond gesture Lance finds himself missing as well. But then Lance misses a lot of things, misses their bickering, misses the annoyed sneer that Keith would send him whenever Lance would have an upper hand in an argument, misses the supporting gazes and smiles that they would send to each other before missions. Lance missed Keith, a lot.

But instead of telling him all of that, Lance settles with his usual teasings instead. He reaches out, grasping a strand of unruly black hair and smirking when he feels the large intake of breath from Keith, thinking that Keith's hair had really gotten long over time.

"Congrats mullet, you've officially outgrown the mullet," he says, watching how Keith's large eyes soften at those words. Lance thinks that maybe he wasn't the only one who misses their bickerings and teasings, at least that's what Keith's eyes are telling him right now.

"Ew, are you two going to kiss?" Slyvio says, face scrunched up unpleasantly as Nadia elbows him with a scowl. Lance thanks the stars for a niece like Nadia.

* * *

 

Keith thinks that Lance's family is overwhelming, almost like the pleasant warmth that hugs you around a fireplace during Winter, but explodes with unbearing heat during the Summer. Keith finds himself being swarmed by the McClains after stepping foot into their household, various versions of tanned skinned Lance look-a-likes pushing through the small hallway after Slyvio announces loudly to the whole family that Tio Lance brought Mr. Keith back. And Keith really didn't know what to expect when Lance gasps a loud and horrified ' _no_ ' towards his nephew's retreating back.

"Did he say _Keith_?" A loud voice echoes through the hallways, loud footsteps coming from various places of the house, thundering like the drum to his doom

Keith's first instinct was to search for Lance, but then Lance is being pushed back and all Keith could hear from him was loud cursing as he struggles to stay put but fails when this much bigger and buffer version of Lance pushes him aside. Keith watches in amusement as Lance stumbles to righten himself up, grabing a hold of the railings of the stairs to steady himself. He glares at the offender, mouth set into a frown, Altean marks glowing dimly.

"Luis!" He hisses, his brother only turning to give him a sheepish smile.

Keith is startled back to face the current situation when he hears his name being tossed back and forth between the herd of nosy McClains.

"Why would Lance bring _Keith_ here?" Lance's sister, Keith presumes, the one that resembled Lance the most but is shorter and had a longer and curlier head of brown locks. Rachel, Keith thinks with slight clarity, remembering times when he would catch Lance sulking and feeling homesick on the Castle ship, times where Keith would just sit and listen to him ramble about his home and family.

"So nice to meet you,  _Keith_ ," a taller and surprisingly more lanky McClain catches his attention than and Keith vaguely recalls the name Marco. He's smiling down at Keith, teasing with mischief hidden behind his blue eyes, eyes that resembled Lance's as well.

"Oh, buzz of Marco!" A familiar face presents herself to Keith, as witty and alof as the day Keith met her, Veronica stands a few feet shorter than Keith and yet more intimidating with slightly longer hair than what Keith remembered. "Is Acxa with you?" She questions, tone hoping and Keith really didn't want to dissapoint but Acxa didn't come with him, nor did he thought to bring her over as well.

But before Keith could reply, another question is thrown at him immediately, this time by Luis. "So _Keith_  , how long will you be staying?" He questions, and if Keith didn't already feel overwhelmed, this question certainly did the trick.

He's a flusttered mess then, struggling to find the right words to say and simultaneously wondering why they were pronouncing his name like a secret language. Lance manages to squeeze past his siblings then, hooking his arm around Keith's shoulders to steady himself. Then a hand is up in the universal sign for 'stop' before he eyes each and everyone of his siblings with this hysterical look in his eye.

"Guys, this is worse than when Allura came over," he says, voice cracking like he really wanted to strangle all of them for the embarrassment. Keith wanted to laugh, never seen Lance so frantic before. "And we're not even dating!" He exclaims and something inside Keith's chest feels heavy then, heavy with what? Keith didn't know.

"Oh Dios mío!" A loud gasp comes from behind, and Keith would've found it comedic when literally all five siblings straightened up like trained soldiers at the mercy of their squad leader if it weren't for the fact that Keith realizes that there was only one person who could scare them like this in the first place. Mrs. McClain is immediately the most charming and sweetest person Keith has ever laid eyes on. She was stout like, her hair held together in a low ponytail as she is immediately let pass the wall of McClain siblings.

"Mama," Lance says, wincing when she gives him a look.

She turns to the four older McClain siblings, a brow raised in question. "Mind explaining why our guest is still standing by the doorway?" She questions them, motherly tone strong and Keith thinks that he has never heard Krolia ever use that tone, not yet at least. She turns back to him them, gaze apologetic. "Mi pobre querido! You must be tired," she exclaims, hand soothing against his cheek.

"Nice to meet you, Mrs. McClain. But really, I'm fine," he tells her gently holding her wrist.

"Nonsense!" She says, gaze shifting to Lance. "Mi niño, show this nice young man to the guest room," she says, a kind smile in place before turning to face the rest of her nosy children and telling them to leave Keith to rest as she chases them away with a shooing gesture, loud groans of disappointment echoing behind as they stumble away.

Lance and Keith are left alone then, in the middle of the hallway and consumed in the sudden silence. Lance looks to him then, mouth quirking into a smile and Keith is suddenly breathless when he notices that Lance still has an arm around his shoulders and that the distance between them would be alarmingly small if Keith turns to face him as well. So he keeps his gaze forward, fingers playing with the hilt of his blade strapped at his side.

"Let me take you to that guest room now," Lance says, sliding his arm away and moving to stand by the stairs. Keith follows, wondering if coming here and visiting Lance was a mistake.

* * *

 

_Dear Allura,_

_I brought Slyvio and Nadia to the beach today, they've been bugging me to take them there ever since I taught them how to swim last week. Helping out with my family's farm is one thing, but helping to babysit is another._

_Farming is easy, it's a repeated process of taking care of crops, harvesting said crops and making sure the animals are healthy and don't die on you. But babysitting? It's easy sure, but sometimes a handful, especially if the kids are extra energetic that day. Luis and Lisa are lucky I love their children as my own._

_Oh, guess who decided to drop by today? Keith! He almost got trampled by my siblings today, poor guy was so flusttered that I had to step in to save him. Keith tells me that the Blade Of Marmora is still helping war refuges, and I think that's really cool. I wonder why he came to visit me instead of Shiro though._

_Guess I'll have to find out._

_Love,_  
_Lance_

* * *

 

There is this strange calm when Lance wakes up the next morning, the house was quiet, extremely so. One look at the digital clock tells him that he had woken up before his alarm, the bright green digits glaring back at him in the dark of his room. The need to fall back asleep is not there, surprisingly, and Lance finds himself out of bed immediately.

The first thing that comes to mind when he trudges down the hallways is that the Juniberries were in season once again, and Lance didn't want to miss a second of it. The second thing he finds himself pondering over is how different the air feels when it was only an hour to dawn. And the third thing he finds himself thinking so early in the morning is how adorable Keith looked with bed head.

That thought stays with him for a while, his brain processing the new information as Keith raises an eyebrow at him. Right, Lance thinks, Keith is standing right in front of him, clad in a familiar black shirt and his usual go to black jeans. If he weren't so stunned right now he would have interrogated Keith for his choice of sleep wear. But then again, Lance is kind of relieved that he kept this habit, a familiar sort of fondness seeps into Lance as he continues to stare.

"Lance," Keith says, voice hoarsed with sleep but eyes twinkling with amusement.

"Keith," Lance replies, still in a bit of a daze.

"Don't mean to assume, but you've been staring for some time now," he says, hand moving to tuck a stray hair away. Lance had the sudden urge to help him braid it, his fingers twitching with the thought.

"Can I...do something about your hair?" He finds himself saying, pursing his lips in thought as Keith stares back at him. Lance thinks back to the times in the Garrison, where he would spot Keith's mop of hair and wondered what it would feel like between his fingers, but fourteen year old Lance would immediately shake those thoughts away while current him would love to make those fantasies real.

The silence is uncomfortable, and Keith looks like he was trying to crack open Lance's brain to see what he was thinking. Endearingly enough, the tips of his ears go red as he opens and closes his mouth as if wanting to say something, Lance thinks that maybe he should wake up around this time more often if he gets to see Keith like this. Keith straightens up then, fingers unconsciously moving to comb back his messy bed head while simultaneously avoiding Lance's eyes at all cost.

"S-sure. I mean, I don't really have time to deal with my hair these past few weeks, so y-yeah, okay," he stutters out, bashful and shy and so out of character that Lance had to make sure he wasn't dreaming. But Lance is grinning then, pulling Keith by the wrist and passing by multiple family portraits.

Maybe Lance was delirious from waking up so early, but he had a mission, and Shiro always did tell them to take the mission seriously.

* * *

 

Lance is amazed, if not suspicious of how soft Keith's hair feels under his fingers as he ties of the tail of the braid he was working on. ' _No time to deal with my hair_ ' my ass, Lance thinks glumly as he reluctantly lets go of Keith's hair. He watches as nimble fingers move to gently examine the single braid behind his head before dropping his hand and turning to face Lance with a grateful smile.

"Thanks," he tells him softly as something tugs Lance from the inside, the familiar feeling of fondness.

"You're welcome," Lance replies, crooked smile in place as he moves to sit beside Keith and not kneeling behind him.

They're outside the porch of the house, overlooking large fields of crops and wandering farm animals as up and early as they were, grazing and minding their own business. Their kneels bump against each others a few times but neither of them seem to mind, simply enjoying the scenic view.

Lance watches, from the corner of his eye at how Keith seems to blend in with the peace, like he was meant for it and it was weird, because he had only truly seen Keith when an intergalactic war that threatened the vary existence of all life was at stake. Keith wore serene like a coat, easy to take off and easy to put on, and Lance very much prefered that he left it on. The setting sun and soft gazes reaches his mind as he recalls purple eyes blending in with the orange and the yellow of the remaining sunlight.

He wonders briefly on what the neighbours might think when they find him with a stranger. Lance knows for a fact that a few of his mother's friends would love to meet Keith, the tall and mysterious stranger that decided to drop by and pay Lance a visit. Then again, a flashback of his siblings behaviour has him wondering how Keith would be able to put up with gushing old ladies. Lance frowns, suddenly not so happy with the amount of attention Keith would or might be receiving.

"So where's Kosmo?" Lance questions, suddenly aware that the space wolf that had grown so fond of Keith was no where to be seen.

Keith hums in thought, arms moving to prop himself up from behind. "He's with my mom," he replies, gaze turning to him, eyes a deep purple that reminded Lance constantly of the vastness of space.

A different feeling pulls at him from his chest, a feeling so similar to fondness and yet so different as well.

"If Kosmo is with your mom then why are you here?" He questions, hope fills him, and he doesn't know why.

Keith contemplates, eyes staring up at the sky, eyes reflecting the colours of dawn in the sky and eyes that Lance swears could see past his soul. He thinks right now, at this very moment that the phrase 'the eyes are the windows to the soul' couldn't be anymore accurate than it was now. Keith's eyes reflected everything he was feeling, Lance had seen most of it, anger, happiness, uncertainty, sadness and even fear.

Keith's eyes told him none of that at the moment, it's a new emotion that Lance has yet to see and he finds himself feeling very intrigued. How curious, Lance can't help the flutter in his stomach when he realizes what Keith was feeling; but it couldn't be now could it? Why would Keith be feeling longing?

"My mom and Kolivan seem to think that I need a break," Keith mutters with an exasperate huff, Lance's gaze soften as he says so, cause seeing Keith talk about his mother brings out a different Keith, a more relaxed Keith.

"They're not the only one who thinks so," Lance finds himself saying out loud, suddenly embarrassed when Keith gives him a look of surprise. "So why choose here and not where Shiro is?" He quickly covers up, heat rising from the back of his neck.

"I thought I could pay you a visit," he says quietly, looking away when the tips of his ears go red once again. Lance wonders what right did Keith have to be feeling embarrassed when Lance was the one already making a fool out of himself.

"Me?" He squeaks and clears his throat, a hand moving to rub the back of his neck.

"Yes, you," Keith grumbles, sitting a lot straighter than he did before. He looks annoyed now, and again, Lance really didn't think he had the right to.

"R-right, thanks," he manages to sputter out before further embarrassing himself.

* * *

 

"You two are weird," Veronica says over a spoon full of cereal, hair held back by a plain white hair band, eyes narrowed at the both of them. "Who the fuck wakes up at five?" She exclaims, lips turned down in a frown.

Keith avoids the piercing gaze poking at his half eaten bacon and eggs in a daze and wondering if he was intruding on a family breakfast. Lance is seated beside him, halfway stuffing a whole pancake into his mouth and halfway pouring orange juice into an empty glass. The roosters were already up and hollering in the distance, and Keith mildly wonders if the McClains were used to sleeping through loud noises as most were missing from the table.

"Ever heard of early bird gets the worm?" Lance says, voice slightly muffled by the pancake and maple syrup half way stuffed into his mouth.

Now, under normal circumstances Keith would be pulling that same look of disgust that Veronica was doing now, instead a single thought filters through his mind unconsciously: cute. What was even more surprising is that he wasn't even going to deny that thought. Not with the way Lance's cheeks are puffed up with maple syrup at the corners of his mouth, or the way he had to swallow down hard to get rid of the chipmunk look he supported not long ago, or even the way he chugs down half a glass of orange juice with a single breath.

"I...rather sleep in than get the 'worm'," Veronica says, a little skeptical look is throw at Keith and Keith could only shrug in response.

"Your loss," Lance says, wiping the corners of his mouth with a napkin and involuntarily belching. A sheepish grin makes its way up his face then, a blush delicately colouring his cheeks. "S'cuse me," he says, Keith doubling over in laughter.

"You must be really hungry, huh?" He says in between gasping for air, Veronica joins him, her laughter more subdued.

"Well, if you were to try these pancakes yourself you wouldn't be laughing now. My mama makes the best pancakes, and I for one _appreciates_  them," he says, mock offended and nose raised high, pointed look aimed at Veronica in search for back up.

"Lance is right, but unlike my baby brother, I don't inhale them," she says, smirk in place as she eyes Lance from across the table.

"I mean, I would love to try them but there's a reason why I'm only eating bacon and eggs," Keith says after finally calming down, a leftover smile still intact. Lance and Veronica lean in, suddenly very intrigued. "I'm, uh...lactose intolerant," he says as understanding washes over Veronica while shock overcomes Lance.

Lance gasps loudly, a look of sheer horror playing into his expression as Keith watches, mildly amused. "And why didn't I know of this?!" He exclaims, looking hurt and betrayed, and Keith continues to watch in amusement, head tilting to watch his sudden explosion. "We've been in space together for like what? One? Two years? And you have the audacity to keep this from the team?!" He says, already up from his seat and hands squeezing at Keith's shoulders.

Keith watches him, shrugging as much as his shoulders could with the weight of Lance's hands. Lance huffs out an indignant breath, slumping back into his seat and still keeping his eyes on Keith.

"Shiro knew," he says, watching as the bottom lid of Lance's left eye twitch.

"Shiro is  _different_ ," he says, mouth pressing into a straight line as he closes up on Keith's face. "Anything else you've been hiding, _Keith_?" He questions, eyes narrowed thinly, lips pulled into a pout.

Keith pushes his face away, partly because Lance was to close for comfort and partly because Keith couldn't take the close proximity. Then again, he could always blame it on Lance's non-existent bad breath. Blaming it on the way Keith could literally see every freckle dotted across his nose and wouldn't even hesitate to count them all? No.

"None that I can think of at the moment," Keith counters, watching as Lance's nose wrinkle in thought, brows furrowed in disappointment.

"Fine," Lance sighs, turning back to his pancakes with an indignant huff, Keith rolling his eyes at his response.

Veronica eyes them both, carefully and calcutative, the look Keith finds her using when she was working at the Garrison. Then she leans back against her seat, an amused smile making its way up her face.

"Let me rephrase that, you two are weird."

* * *

 

When Keith said that he didn't mind helping out with the farming, he didn't expect Mrs. McClain to literally beam up at him like a lighthouse, Keith being that wayward ship, lost in an ocean of blue eyes and teasing smiles, commonly known as Mrs. McClain's son, Lance. Mr. McClain on the other hand seemed really greatful for the help, later muttering to himself about disrespectful children and lack of hands on the farm.

Keith didn't mind helping, the McClain's were nice enough to offer him a place to sleep for his visit, so why not help them out? Besides, Keith would never live it down if he ever disappointed Mrs. McClain, she was so sweet and understanding, and for some reason Keith wanted her approval. He then wonders briefly about how his mother was doing and that he should really give her a call and tell her he was doing fine on his 'vacation'.

He tells himself that he wasn't curious to see how Lance was around the farm. But then he finds himself amused, if not slightly confused to the way Lance actually manoeuvres around it. He talks to literally everything in sight, the crops he speaks to in what Keith assumes is Spanish when he waters each individual plant with this smile on his face; the animals he speaks to as if he were speaking to children, doting and kind. It was odd seeing a side of Lance he rarely ever sees, a side that he would only ever show his family, a nice change to be honest.

Lance is still the same sweet talker that Keith was accustomed to witnessing, but instead of chatting up girls with that flirtatious smirk of his, he's chatting up older ladies with a patient and caring smile instead. A little voice in the back of his mind reminds him that Lance's change was only because of Allura. And for some reason, it stirs an unwanted feeling of pain inside him.

"Hey Keith!" Lance calls, startling him from having a stare down with a cabbage. He rises his gaze from the dirt ground to cast a glance towards Lance, the two older women grinning at his boastfulness.

The watering can is weighed heavy with water and the handle is grasped tightly in his grip, he feels every sway and splash of the water within the can when he moves towards Lance. Keith feels as if he were marching to his dismay, his dismay being a blue eyed and freckled faced boy who has him staying up at night wishing to run his fingers through soft brown locks. His grip on the watering can tightens, an effort he puts to grasp what little sanity he still has for himself.

It's funny how even the smallest of looks from Lance could have Keith struggling to stand up straight. There was a time where Keith finds himself vowing to never let those blue eyes of Lance's dull in sadness and uncertainty ever again, he could still hear the soft hum of the Castle and recall how small and vulnerable Lance had seemed compared to his usual loud and obnoxious demenour. Then Keith left, never wanting Lance to ever say he was an extra, a seventh wheel, hoping that his blue, blue eyes spark up with mirth once again.

And how bright they are now, staring at Keith with this grin and a hand on his hip. Try as he might, Keith's gaze can't help sweeping over the length of Lance's legs and up towards the jutting of his hip. He feels the heat rising from the back of his neck, glad that he could blame it on the afternoon heat beating down on them.

"You...called?" He says, voice slightly hoarsed and throat feeling dry. He then watches in fascination as the two women, each on one side of Lance, immediately leaves Lance's side to flank Keith.

Keith takes a step back, his instinct telling him to defend himself from the two women staring at him like a piece of art work. So he drops the watering can, droplets of water splashing about.

"My goodness Lance! You never told us how handsome your young friend was!" The one on his right exclaimed, shamelessly gripping his bicep. Keith looks to Lance in alarm, sirens going on in his head not to judo flip the old lady on to the dirt ground. Lance simply continues watching in amusement, looking as if he enjoyed how uncomfortable the situation was for Keith.

"He has such nice hair!" The other one exclaims, hand patting at Keith's braid and causing Lance to involuntarily snort as Keith aimed a glare at him, seething.

"Alright ladies, Keith is allergic to attention. So if you two could please give him some space?" Lance finally speaks up, breaking the two older women away from Keith.

" _Now_ you help me," Keith hisses quietly, catching Lance biting back a laugh.

"Sorry, dude. It was too good of a chance to pass up," Lance tells him softly, sly smirk aimed at him. Keith crosses his arms, a small part of him reasuring him that it was alright for a twenty-two year old to pout when he just got embarrassed in front of somebody like _Lance_. "And this is partly because you stole these lovely ladies' attention from me," he says, eyes narrowed playfully.

"Oh Lance, you get our attention every day!" The women, now that Keith got a closer look, with light brown hair that was graying at the roots says with a crinkle to her eyes. She was short, stout like with a slightly broader frame from the other lady.

"No one here could possibly resist how adorable you are," the other one jokes, she's taller with a head of black hair neatly secured in a tight bun, slender with an air of kindness around her.

Lance gasps, and Keith aims a questioning stare at him as he places a hand to his heart in an offended manner.

"'Adorable'?!" He croaks out, head whipping to Keith. "Why am I adorable and he's handsome?!" Lance squeaks, gesturing wildly at Keith.

"Oh hush now, Lance. Practically the whole town agrees!" The brunette one says, boastful and loud. Keith could see how they got along just fine. Then she looks to Keith, eyes gleaming with a sort of warning to him for what's to come. "Don't you agree young man?"

Keith stills, eyes beseeching, because how was he suppose to answer that? Lance was just Lance, the talented out-going and caring Lance. He was insecure and yet still pushes through to the very end, sometimes reckless but does it in hopes of putting everyone's safety above all else. To Keith, Lance was beautiful, and not just by appearance, Keith would never be able to shut up if he decided he wanted to describe Lance's outer beauty, much less his inner beauty as well.

Instead of saying all that, Keith decides to settle with an uncertain "Sure," as the shorter one of the two women cackles loudly while the other laughs into her hand.

Lance sends him a narrowed eye glare, and Keith couldn't help himself at that look, covering up his snickers with the back of his fingerless-gloved hand. Lance continues to stare, head tilting as if studying him. Keith clears his throat, avoiding anymore unnecessary eye contact as he looks towards the dirt ground with keen interest.

"You're having fun," Lance mutters, a look akin to relief planted on his face and Keith wonders why. "Anyway, ladies. This is Keith, ex-paladin of Voltron, and pilot of the Black Lion," he says, placing his arm on Keith's shoulder and leaning against it.

Keith finds himself nodding politely at the both of them, smiling softly when they look towards each other to share a secret smile.

"And Keith, these two lovely ladies are Synthia--" he points towards the taller one who bows her head in a polite greeting. "--and Bianca," the shorter one smiles brightly at him, her joyful nature some how infectious. "They work down at the market in town, and are good friends with my mama," Lance tells him, voice dangerously close to his ear, he could literally feel the hairs at the back of his neck stand in anticipation.

"It's nice to meet the both of you," Keith says, hand outstretched for a handshake.

Keith thinks that countless of meetings and diplomatic discussions has made him into this stiff and slightly tense person. Nights and hours of Shiro and Allura drilling proper protocols to take while meeting the ambassador or emperor or even some high distinguished personal of some planet comes to mind. Shiro always tells him that it was only right for the Black Paladin to know basic manners, whereas Allura stressed on good impressions.

Keith honestly thought that the both of them could really use a break, but suggesting so only caused the two of them to deny their stress and continue on with the lesson with this hysterical twitch to their eye. Luckily Coran was there to help Keith convince the two to rest, otherwise Keith swears that there would be a third party to nearing hysteria.

Synthia is the one to grasp his hand, a gentle and firm hold, then shaking his hand while offering him a kind smile. "You don't have to be so tense," she says, and Keith could feel calluses and wrinkles on her skin while she holds her smile in place.

"Right," Keith replies, releasing her hand and returning his own back to his side.

"It's been nice meeting you Keith, but we best be heading back to get our stall ready," Bianca tells him, a curt nod before turning to Lance. "And you, you'd better step up you're game young man. Tell your mother we said 'hi'," she tells him, knowing smirk in place, leaving a baffled Lance to stare incredulously at her.

"What--" he says before getting cut off by the two's laughter and retreating backs. "Man, those two," Lance huffs, head turning to Keith and still impossibly close.

"They're nice," Keith mutters, refusing to face him in fear of a blunder. He thinks to himself that facing enemies in battle would be much more easier than facing Lance right now.

* * *

 

_Dear Allura,_

_You know what's weird? Seeing how natural Keith is on our family farm. It's odd seeing him water the crops, lifting hay and feeding fodder to the chickens. It's like I can't take my eyes of him, and it's exhilarating._

_I think you already know this, but I liked Keith as well, even way back when we were dating. I just liked you more, the way you smile, the way you handle things with such grace, the way you fight. It's odd, liking two people at the same time, I don't even know if it's normal._

_You two were so alike in so many ways, but different as well. I guess it was hard for me to choose, but then Keith left and I didn't know what to feel._

_I don't think it's alright for me to admit this to you at all, admittedly unfair as well. And I know I should move on but a few months is not enough, for me at least. So I'm going to think this over and get back to you._

_Love,_  
_Lance_

* * *

 

There is something about the way Keith moves about on the farm that has Lance's undivided attention. The animals love him, the little chicks that just recently hatched follow him around like a he's a mother hen and Lance feels impossibly weak at the sight. Every lift of his arm and sway to his step has Lance turning his head to watch with keen interest, because seeing Keith with him here on the farm was a weird sight, but not an unwelcomed one.

Keith gives him this curious stare when Lance walks up to him and whispers "I want to show you something," lowly. It was after Lance had finished milking the cows and helping his father trim clouds of wool from sheep that refuse to stay still that he walks up to Keith.

Keith's neat braid was slowly coming undone throughout the day, stray hair swaying lightly with each gentle movement and framing his face while some stuck to his sweaty skin. Never in Lance's life did he think that it would hurt so much just to look at someone. He was gorgeous, and to think that he wasn't even trying.

Lance could recall when he was fourteen years old and had just discovered his so called 'hate' towards his newly declared rival. The confusion he went through when he dreamt of himself running his hands through soft black hair and actually _enjoyed_  it. The loud cackle from Veronica and Luis during his weekly video call home has him staying up at night pondering if there was something seriously wrong with himself for thinking such thoughts about his rival.

At age seventeen he wasn't ready to confront the sudden dawning of a crush he didn't know he had developed over time. So he fleed from it and hid behind the prospect of having feelings for another, which backfired immensely and left him heartbroken and grief-stricken. Then Keith comes waltzing back in, and Lance didn't think his heart could take anymore, not so fast.

But then Keith is standing in the middle of a patch of Juniberries, hair windswept with a pink petal stuck in between. It was an odd sight to say the least, seeing Keith with something Allura loved. Then he's staring at Lance, gaze soft, so soft, and Lance ached.

Before he knew it, he was on his knees and the tears keep falling, big fat droplets of water rainning down from his eyes and on to the grassy field. Keith is by his side in a flash concern laced into every syllable. Lance wanted him to leave, wanted nothing badly for him to never show his face again. But Keith never did anything wrong, he never intended for the evening rays to shine down on him, never intended for the light to blend with his purple irises, never intended to look like _that_.

"Lance," he says softly, gently pulling his hands away from his face. "I'm here for you. It's okay," he tells him gently and Lance didn't want him to, but knew that he needed him to.

"You're suppose to hug me you idiot," he croaks out, Keith letting out an airy laugh before pulling him into his arms. "Quiznak, you suck at comforting people," he tells him, and yet here he was, clinging on to him like a life line.

"Sorry," he hears Keith muttering and clearing his throat. "You ah-we can stay like this until you calm down. I don't mind," he says and Lance snorts.

"Who said you had a choice in this," he grumbles, burying his tear stricken face into Keith's shoulders. His grip on Keith's upper back tightens as well, a slight warning to take him seriously.

"Okay," Keith exclaims, finally relaxing.

Lance wonders how long it had been since he craved for this hug, never wanting it to end. They remain silent until Lance's breathing finally evens out, and he was only still clinging on to Keith because he was still emotionally unstable and Keith was willing to let him stay.

Keith's hair tickles him, and he finds himself slowly reaching up to weave his fingers into messy black hair. He hums in thought and Keith suddenly stills, his breathing gone ragged. Lance smirks inwardly, undoing the braid as his fingers descended downwards, failing to find the missing rubber band that held the braid together.

"Why is it that your hair is still soft when you care so little of it?" He murmurs, smiling to himself when he hears the shaky intake of breath.

"I don't know," he seems to say, shrugging his shoulders lightly. "But you seem to like braiding it anyway," he exclaims and laughs softly.

Lance doesn't answer, doesn't want to, is simply content by weaving his fingers into Keith's hair and listening to his shaky breaths. Lance has had countless of dreams doing this okay? He even fantasizes about it to, but instead of hugging, it was leaning more towards kissing, not like he has a choice, given the current situation.

It's already a known fact that Lance had some issues to work through, but that didn't mean that he couldn't enjoy the moment for a while longer.

* * *

 

"Do you...want to try flying it?" Keith questions, watching how Lance takes in the small fighter ship that he flew here on. His eyes are blown wide, grin stretching across his face, gaze snapping towards Keith in utter excitement that it was hard not to find adorable.

"Noooo," he drawls out, already moving towards it, practically bouncing on the balls of his feet. "I couldn't possibly," he says, hardly containing the smile that treathened to take over his face once again. "But since you asked," he dashes towards it, taking in every nook and cranny of the ship as Keith follows behind, hiding his amused smile.

Keith had only wanted to grab a few things from the fighter, he wasn't expecting Lance to volunteer following him at all, much less find him staring at the fighter with a slight longing in his expression. But then Keith was weak, especially when it came to pleading blue eyes and a pout to throw him off.

They're flying then, the take off was bumpy, but otherwise smooth sailing from then. Keith is reminded of the first time when Lance flew the Blue Lion, how much he had grown since then. He's impressed, slightly in awe at how Lance remembers the controls, wonders if he missed flying.

"What's wrong, Keith? Speechless of my awesome skills?" Lance says, voice carrying Keith out of his thoughts and to that smug smirk Lance has going on.

Keith rises a brow, not surprise that Lance's cocky attitude stuck. "Not really. Your flying is still as bumpy as I remembered," he replies, savouring the offended gasp from Lance. But then they're suddenly taking a nose dive to the sea, at an alarming rate as well.

"Lance, what the fuck?! Pull up you idiot!" He exclaims, grabbing a hold of something to steady himself.

He pulls up at the last minute, the nose of the fighter barely grazing the water's surface. Lance turns to him, a sly grin in place as Keith glares.

"What was that about my flying that sucked?" He questions, innocently batting his lashes at him.

"Fuck you," Keith growls, pulling an all out laughter from Lance, head tilted back and all.

"Counting on it, baby," he retorts, winking in his direction as heat rapidly spreads to the tips of his ears.

* * *

 

During Lance's younger days, Marco would take Rachel and him out to Varadero beach on a row boat. They would drift off near the seashore and simply enjoy the relaxing sway of the boat on the water. What Lance enjoyed about those times was that he got to witness the night sky reflected on the sea's surface, dotted with stars and the milky way.

When he got older, he would venture off to the beach himself and just sit by the shore and stare at the waves folding on top of each other as the ocean glittered with constellations. Swimming in it would be an experiance, but no matter how good of a swimmer he was he couldn't trust that nothing bad would happen, especially when it was the dead of night with no one to help him if something bad were to happen. So he settles with staring at the ocean, if only to quell the yearning to be nearer to what ever was out there.

Keith gives him the same feeling, beautiful to look at, but what lies ahead will forever remain a mystery. It's just like how Lance never got to experience swimming in a star filled ocean, he still wonders if he should take a chance and dive in, to finally satisfy the curiosity that ate at him slowly. But then if he did dive in and got hurt, what then? Would it ever be worth it?

" _I want to swim in it!_ " he recalls telling Marco, eyes filled with a yearning to jump in.

" _Whoa there buddy. I know it's a fun idea and all, but you won't be able to tell what's in the water once you dive in, you could get hurt,_ " was what he told Lance as he grabed a hold of his wrist tightly, gaze firm in a sort of warning.

" _But what if nothing bad happens?_ " he had replied, voice coming out in a soft whine.

" _Can't risk it,_ " Marco had reprimanded, gaze still stern and grip tightening.

Risk, the word itself played a huge role in keeping the McClain family from making any bad decisions and keeping them from any kind of harm. Lance wonders of the 'if's and 'could have's that could happen, soon running after Veronica to enroll into the Garrison while also running away from the sheltered life his family lived. He met Hunk then, soon meeting Keith and then Pidge and even Shiro.

Lance's perspectives of risk and safety began turning over a new leaf, he soon learned that for the safety of others one's own safety is sometimes needed to be put last. Right now, Lance didn't know if risking everything he had worked to build with Keith was worth the emotional drama he had going on in his head. What if he made Keith uncomfortable?

He watches at a distance for now, watches how Nadia had taken a certain liking to him, watches how she makes him a flower crown full of Juniberries, watches how he gives her a heartfelt smile as he let's her put it on his head. She's laughing then, sitting next to him and teaching him how to make one. They were so in to it that they never even noticed Lance standing by the porch and leaning against the railing with this longing look in his eyes.

Lance ached to pull Keith into his arms, to kiss him and to run his fingers through messy black hair. To hear Keith's soft laughter as he trails kisses down his neck and map out his back with wondering hands. So close and yet so far, Lance dreaded that feeling.

Lance was falling, and he knew that he was falling in deeper than what he originally thought. Allura he knew he loved, but Keith was different, Lance was in too deep to try and figure a way out. He knows what he wants, but he doesn't know what to do.

He could only hope to sort his muddled mind by the time Keith's vacation ended.

* * *

 

_Dear Allura,_

_Sorry that I wasn't able to write you these past few days, I've been too wrapped up in my mind lately. You know, sorting through one's thoughts was suppose to help find a solution to one's problem, but instead my mind is in more a a tangled mess than when I first started._

_Nadia taught Keith how to make flower crowns today, the sight of it was so adorable I caught myself almost drooling. Which was weird, and I am glad no one caught me doing it. They made a lot, almost enough for the whole family, Keith made mine full of Juniberries, and I think it's his way of saying that it's tribute to you._

_Marco didn't like the idea of wearing the flower crowns, but a stern look from Luis and the puppy dog eyes from Nadia made him gave in. The power of father and daughter, we laughed and teased him after that._

_That's it for today's update I guess, nothing really interesting happened on the farm today. I hope you're doing well._

_Love,_  
_Lance_

* * *

 

Keith wakes up the next morning with sunlight streaming in through the blinds and shining directly in his face. He finds himself groaning then, pulling his blanket up to shield the offending sunlight. A knock on the door startles him awake, more groaning as he moves to answer it.

Lance is there, coy smirk in place with amusement crinkling in his eyes. Nadia is at his leg, grinning up at him as she stuck to Lance's leg. There is a few beat of silence as Keith stares at them in confusion, tilting his head and squinting his eyes as Lance's smirk morphs into a fond smile.

"What time is it?" Keith asks, squinting and rubbing his eyes.

"Almost noon, Sleeping Beauty," Lance tells him, leaning against the door frame with the smirk returning. Then he looks down towards Nadia. "Want to go tell abuela that Mr. Keith finally woke up?" He questions, Nadia grinning and nodding her head.

"Tio Lance, if Mr. Keith is Sleeping Beauty, does that make you the Prince?" She questions, eyes sparkling with child innocence. Lance blinks, staring at her with wide eyes before a sly smirk makes its way up his face as he meets Keith's gaze. Keith flushes, eyes narrowing in warning.

"Since you put it that way...yes," he tells her, Nadia giggling and running off to find her grandmother, all the while singing 'tio Lance is a prince' under her breath.

Lance grins at her retreating back, standing straighter to meet Keith's gaze with an amuse smile.

"Wanna tell me what made you get up so late, Mr. Early-riser?" He teases with a quirked eyebrow.

Keith frowns, broadening into a pout as he turns on his heels to hide the blush rising to his cheeks, stalking back into the room with Lance at his tail. Lance chuckles, a deep throated chuckle that has Keith's mind spiralling in all sorts of directions. He pauses, turning to look as Lance with his lips pursed.

"Technically--" he starts, ignoring the way Lance's lips twitch in amusement. He tugs at the end of his hair, licking his lips and watching as Lance follows the movement before snapping his gaze up to meet Keith's. "--it was supposed to be a meeting with my mom and Kolivan. But in all honesty it was actually my mom just checking in on me," he says, moving his gaze towards the carpeted floor.

Last night his mother had called, insistently asking him the most detailed recap on what he did when he first arrived to what he last ate for dinner last night. And don't even let him get started with the way her eyes lit up when ever he mentioned spending time with Lance. Keith wonders if Krolia thought of his love life as some sit-com she could tune into whenever she pleased, and you could guess how surprised Keith was when she admitted to it.

But he couldn't tell Lance that, not when Keith knew he would just laugh. And yet here he was, still standing with a hand on his hip and tilting his head downward with his brows furrowed as if he were processing Keith's words. But then his lips pull into an all familiar smile, eyes sparkling with mirth as he stares Keith down, Keith wouldn't actually mind going down like this.

"She's just worried for you Keith, who knew you would become a mama's boy?" He grins as Keith smacks him on the arm, a threatening glare aimed at him with some obvious pink dusting his cheeks. Lance laughs, clutching the arm that had just gotten hit while his other hand grips at Keith's offending hand.

Keith huffs, a fond smile on his face as Lance's grip on his hand tightens. He straightens after that, mischievous glint in his eyes as pulls Keith in. Keith's eyes narrow in suspicion like second nature, taking in the way Lance's smirk softens into a smile. Keith feels weak then, trying to ignore the part of his brain that had started counting the freakles on Lance's cheeks and nose.

"Want to go to the beach with me?" He asks, smile widening as Keith gives him a questioning stare. "Evening, after chores are done," he says, giving Keith a hopeful squeeze to his hand.

"Okay," Keith says, proud that his voice comes out strong.

Lance's grin grows impossibly wider, teeth a little crooked but endearingly adorable. "Great, I want to show you something," he says, and Keith tries, but he couldn't really identify the emotion laced in Lance's words.

So they just stare at each other, a wave of silence stretching between them. Keith watches him, watches as his gaze sweeps over Keith's lips and slowly trail back up towards his eyes. Watches again as he drags his tongue across his lips with Lance's gaze being drawn back towards it. Keith could feel it, the intense rate of his heart beating against his rib cage like a caged animal. Lance purses his lips, Keith finding himself eyeing the movement.

"Oh, Lance! How could you keep our guest in _bed_   and all to yourself?" Rachel exclaims loudly, hands placed on each side of her hips as she leans forward with a coy smirk, and Keith would have been amazed at how much she resembled Lance if he weren't for the fact that he just realised what she had done.

Lance wasn't helping, only making things much more worse. "Dammit Rachel! Can't we get some privacy around here?!" He yells at her loudly, tearing away from Keith and turned towards her direction.

Keith gaps at him, wondering if Lance ever thought to think before he speaks. Normally, it would have been funny watching Lance dig his own grave, but right now Keith isn't even sure he has enough money for his own funeral.

" _Lance_!" He hisses, letting go of his hand as Lance looks towards him with a questioning brow raised. Keith gives him a pointed state, Lance's face morphing into horror as Rachel tries her best to muffle her laughter.

"Lance!" Mrs. McClain shouts from across the house as Lance chases after Rachel with murder in his eyes.

Keith sighs, locking the door and trudging back into the room to get changed.

* * *

 

Fleeting gazes, and small smiles, windswept hair being pulled back in a loose ponytail with the skin of his naval just shy of peeking through the waistband of his shorts. Then he meets him eye to eye, the startling gaze and smile he sends him are as equally soft. Lance finds himself under Keith's spell again, not even in a hurry to break it.

His breath hitches, watching as he tucks loose strands of hair behind his ear, gaze far away as the waves wash up and circle his ankles before backing off again. He was wearing Lance's flip flops, the blue a striking colour against the black shirt and shorts he had on. He was glowing, and all signs pointed towards the setting sun, but Lance kept his eyes on him anyway, too entranced to do much.

"Beautiful," he finds himself saying under his breath, purple eyes meeting his gaze in shock.

His gaze lightens then moving to look back towards the descending sun. "Isn't it?" He says, and Lance did his best to fight off the spell, holding himself back from pulling Keith into kiss.

A dreaded feeling this was, his stomach was in knots, his mind becoming nothing but useless mush. He finds himself curling his toes against the sand, pressing the rough texture against his skin to save himself from insanity and from drowning into deep purple eyes. He pulls his gaze away, wondering if he should have brought the kids to distract himself from self-exploding.

"Why are you still standing there? I thought you loved the ocean?" Keith teases, head tilted towards him with this taunting grin, the sunlight darkening the hollows of his neck and face.

Whatever spell he was in, Lance seems to snap out of it, eyes darting around his surroundings before realizing that he was at the beach. He glances up, once again meeting Keith's gaze and noting the dimples that appear whenever he smiles. He sends a grin towards him, pulling his shirt over his head and running towards the ocean and jumping in with a splash.

There is an undistinguished sound coming from Keith, but whatever it was, Lance was already submerged in water, swimming up only to find Keith pointing at the big wet stain on his shirt. Lance throws his head back laughter rattling through his entire being as Keith stands by with an air of fondness surrounding him.

* * *

 

Keith hadn't thought to go for a swim, was simply content by watching Lance splash about in the water. But then Lance is moving towards him, emerging from the waves like he was some god of the ocean. Poseidon, he mildly recalls from the part of his brain that stored the little knowledge of Greek mythology, or maybe it was Neptune, heck a siren maybe, Lance was like a mythical creature and that itself was unfair.

He was sitting with his knees drawn up when Lance walks over, the remaining sunlight making his exposed skin glow copper and his hair glow golden. Lance runs a hand through his hair, Altean marks glowing and exposing his damp forehead and Keith swears that the motion itself was a sin. He squats in front of him, the sun casting a halo around his form and shadows toning the corners and the dips of his body.

He purses his lips, running his tongue over The front of his teeth while simultaneously avoiding Lance's gaze altogether. He knows what Lance's objective was, and Keith was prepared to decline, mythical creature or not.

"Come swim," he says, grin stretching across his face.

"No," Keith replies almost immediately and Lance's smile drops.

"But Keeeeef--"

"No, Lance," he says, corners of his mouth twitching upward as Lance slumps against his knees, sea water dripping on to the bare skin of his legs.

"Come on man, water's nice," Lance continues to pester, resting his chin in between Keith's knees. "Don't tell me you can't swim?" He challenges, grin sly and growing as Keith narrows his eyes, taking the bait like an idiot. Just like old times, he muses.

"Fine," Keith sighs, defeated as Lance pops back on to his feet with a victorious grin. He watches with a narrow eyed glare as Lance stares at him with anticipation and eagerness. "Do you mind?" He mutters, tugging at the helm of his shirt and dreading the heat that was climbing up his neck.

"Right, sorry!" Lance yelps turning back towards the ocean and diving in. Keith watches him for a while longer, eyes darting towards the horizon and realizing that it was getting dark already. It takes a while more longer before he is lifting his shirt over his head and tossing it beside Lance's.

A cold breeze passes by and Keith wonders if this was really a good idea, once again glancing towards the darkening sky. A large splash of water hits him from the side as he instinctively glares at Lance, snickering a few feet away from him. Keith chases after him, Lance's slippers flying off and landing a few inches away from their discarded shirts, suddenly forgetting about the darkening sky, forgetting that it was probably already dinner time and Mrs. McClain would probably kill them when they get back.

* * *

 

"Close your eyes," Lance says, watching as Keith gives him a look of confusion before wordlessly obeying.

"They're closed," he says, waiting.

"Wait a tick, until I tell you to open them,"

A sigh. "Lance--"

"Trust me," he says, Keith snapping his mouth shut and nodding.

They're sitting on the sand, feet occasionally submerging in water. They have their shirts back on, damp from their earlier swim. The sand around them is a darker colour, water dripping off of them and seeping into the layers of sand. Their finger have gone wrinkled and Lance swears there is also sand in his hair, but none of that mattered, not right now.

"You know, I never really got to show this to Allura," he says, gaze ahead and tone reminiscent. Keith hums in reply, and Lance turns to watch him, his expression was unreadable, and Lance wondered what he was thinking.

He looks back out towards the sky, the stars blinking back at him as the ocean reflected the nightscape.

"Alright, you can open them," he says, almost breathless, watching as Keith's eyelids flutter open, eyes widening at the sight of the ocean dotted with stars.

He could hear how his breath stops, mouth agape as leans slightly forward. There's a growing grin then, stretching across his face as the dimples reappear, eyes glittering and reflecting the ocean, the stars and Lance. His smile is breathtaking, wet hair falling over his shoulders and curling at the end, cheeks dusted pink with left over droplets of water hanging off his lashes.

"This is...amazing," Keith exclaims, breathless and beautiful and Lance just stares, stares as Keith gives him a questioning look with amusement flickering in his eyes. His breath stops, lips pursed into a straight line, as Keith raises a brow, challenging. Lance would take up that challenge all right, wipe that stupid smile off Keith's face. He will show him that he wasn't afraid to take risks, to jump into star filled oceans.

He kisses him, hands cupping Keith's face gently and eating the 'Lance,' that Keith had gasped out. Lance was not afraid to jump into star filled oceans anymore, proud to say that he dared to and has no regrets.

* * *

 

Flying always got things off of his mind, an escape he found from his wondering thoughts of jumping off high places to see if it would hurt or purposely getting cut by broke glass just to see blood. Flying made him forget who he was, made him feel alive. The thought of falling never once entered his mind.

At the age of five, Keith learnt that falling could hurt, his knee bruising an ugly purple from the ledge he jumped off. At the age of sixteen he learnt that falling in love could hurt, nights of having to hear Adam crying alone in the kitchen made up his resolve to leave. At the age of nineteen he knew that crashing from a flight would hurt, but that meant that his friends would be saved, so why not?

Falling can hurt, and yet he lets himself turn a blind eye to how he was falling for an obnoxiously loud and beautiful blue eyed boy from Cuba. Falling is an experience, and maybe it won't hurt as bad as Keith originally thought.

Lance tasted like the leftover cinnamon rolls they had at breakfast, Keith mildly recalling darting gazes as Lance stole one from the pantry before they left. He remembers Mrs. McClain telling everyone not to touch them as they were kept for Marco, but in the mist of Lance trying to stuff the other half of the cinnamon roll into Keith's mouth, he guessed it just slipped his mind. And now they were kissing, and Keith thinks that the cinnamon rolls that Lance's mom made were the best he's ever had.

Another thing Keith noticed was that Lance couldn't seem to keep his hands out of Keith's hair. Fingers brush against his scalp, scratching and tugging when he wanted an upper hand, sometimes gently combing or massaging when Keith kisses a particular spot on his neck that he liked.

It was sloppy, messy and desparate, but it was at their own pace, so Keith didn't mind. But then Lance's hand started wandering up and under his shirt, lightly grazing over his navel before Keith pulls away to grab his hand, face impossibly red. Lance stares in confusion for a few ticks, Keith suddenly wanting to shove his face in the sand.

"Lance," he says, trying to sound firm, but his voice comes out hoarsed and cracked instead.

Lance had the audacity to smirk. "Going too fast?" He questions with false innocence, and this time Keith really does shove his face into the sand.

* * *

 

_Dear Allura,_

_I think I can finally move on now. I am forever grateful to you, we all are. You showed us passion, bravery and determination, and we all love you for that._

_What I think I'm trying to say is: thank you._

_Sincerely,_  
_Lance_

* * *

 

"I'm going to visit Shiro, after that it's back to the Blade," is what Keith told him the next day as Lance's heart plummets to his stomach. "B-but I'll visit, I swear! As often as I can," he says, bashful and shy and Lance is suddenly feeling a lot better.

"When are you leaving?" He questions, head tilted to the side, hoping that he comes of casual.

"Tomorrow," Keith tells him and Lance just stares.

Suddenly Lance is pulling Keith by the wrist, announcing loudly to his family that he was going to be making out with Keith for the whole day, and if anyone needed them then don't bother. Then he's already pushing Keith against his closed door and kissing down his neck as Keith laughs above him. They could hear Slyvio questioning Luis what 'making out' meant, and that only made Keith laugh even harder, shoulders shaking and head tilted back.

He finally shuts up when Lance is shoving his tongue down his throat.

* * *

 

"Do you miss flying?" Keith questions in between the crook of Lance's neck. Lance tenses at his words, turning his gaze towards him in surprise as Keith glances up, nose brushing against the hairs of Lance's neck and meeting his waiting gaze.

"What do you mean?" He questions, brows furrowed and lips pursed, the hand weaving through Keith's hair pausing in its ministrations.

Keith sits up, ignoring Lance's attempts at trying to drag him back into their cuddle session as he internally mourns for the lost of warmth. He faces him, lips pressed into a straight line as Lance continues to stare in question. He wonders how the sun always manages to make Keith glow, making it known that Keith had always been an outdoors type of person.

Lance glances back towards the house, Slyvio and Nadia playing by the porch as Lisa, their mother, watches them. Keith and Lance were under one of the many trees that were dotted about on the farm, this tree in particular was surrounded with much more Juniberries, the other wildflowers dimming in comparison.

"Remember when I let you fly that fighter ship?" He questions, gaze firm as Lance tries to recall before confirming Keith's question. "You looked like you were having fun, and before that you were looking at the ship with this _longing_ ," he says, brows furrowed while he tries to explain. Lance thinks that it was cute that he was trying so hard.

"Your point?" Lance questions, still not understanding where Keith was coming from.

"I don't know, it's just--" he sighs, frustrated, struggling to find the right words, hands gesturing to the air like it could help him find what he was looking for. Lance's point stands strong: cute. "I know you love helping your family around here and all but--" he says, face scrunched up and lips pulled in a pout, not even meeting Lance's gaze.

"But?" Lance pushes, startled when Keith meets him with a set of determined eyes, Lance is reminded once again that Keith _did_  pilot the Red Lion before.

"It's not _Lance_!" he exclaims as Lance blinks up at him. "You're like this wild and beautiful creature, you're not tied down by anything, and yet you're stuck here. On your family's farm. _Farming,_ " he says, sounding breathless but eyes still set in determination.

Lance is dumbfounded, and so incredibly weak. "You think I'm a wild and beautiful creature ," he says and Keith glares.

"Don't tell me that was the only thing you picked up," he growls as Lance's grin grows.

"You think I'm wild and beautiful," he says, close to laughing as Keith flushes to the roots of his hair.

" _Lance_ ," Keith barks as Lance clutches at his stomach, holding Keith by his wrist to prevent him from running as he laughs with his head thrown back.

"Keith, _Keith_ ," he says, practically wheezes as Keith groans and buries his face into Lance's chest. "I swear, that's like the nicest thing you've ever said to me, _ever_ ," he says, pulling Keith's face up to meet his gaze.

Face red and eyes darting, Keith squares his shoulders to give him another glare. "Maybe I won't make my visits as often anymore, seeing as I'm unappreciated," he hisses, jabing at Lance's side as Lance yelps.

"Oh come on Keith, lighten up," he says, pulling him in to peck him on the lips. "Please reconsider visiting as often as you can to see your wild and beautiful boyfriend," he grins, Keith huffs, pouting as Lance pulls him in to peck him on the lips again.

"We'll see," he deadpans.

"I love you," he says, sheepish. Keith stills, stares at him and groans, covering his face with his hands.

"That's unfair," he mumbles, voice muffled and ears red at the tip. Lance's gaze softens at the sight, gently prying away Keith's hands from his face to stare him in the eye. He pulls him in again, kiss gentle and prolonged like they had all the time in the word.

"It's not like I haven't thought about it," Lance exclaims, eyes closing when Keith move to kiss him on his temple. "It's just hard to move on. Before you came, I wrote letters to Allura. It was kinda like a mourning phase where I would just tell her things that happened around here," he says as Keith blinks down at him, gaze soft.

"They're still in my room, the letters I mean. Do you think it's weird? Quiznak, why the hell I'm I telling you all this when I've just told you I love you? You know what? Forget everything I said--" Keith stops him, kissing him on the lips hard.

"Forget wild and beautiful, weird suits you better," Keith grins, Lance scoffs. "You're not Lance if you're not weird," he says tone more serious now, but gentle none the less. "It's fine, I'm not mad. Losing Allura affected you a lot, and it's fine."

Lance stares, stares as Keith's soft expression morphs into curiosity, tilting his head questioning towards Lance. He feels mushy inside, like he could melt at any second, because try as he might, he still can't believe that he was with Keith. He could kiss him anytime he pleased, hold him in an embrace whenever he felt like it and braid his hair without needing to ask for his permission.

"Not that I'm saying that you're still mad or anything, but if it makes you feel any better I've been writing to her about you lately," he says, sheepish.

Keith quirks a brow, the slightest twitch of his lips making Lance's grin widen. "I want to ask but I'm kind of dreading to hear the answer."

"Good, cause it's embarrassing," he says and finally pulls him in to kiss him, this time without any interruptions. It's slow and has more teeth than tongue, but that was only because they coundn't stop smiling. But they were happy, and that was all that mattered.

* * *

 

_Dear Allura,_

_Keith says he going to be back to his old home, it's actually a shack where he used to live with his father. You know, it's actually one of the places where this all began. We found the Blue Lion there thanks to Keith._

_I'm kind of worried for him, it's like he's going to revisit an old past, a painful one. I remember how sad you were when we had to destroy your father's memories from the Castle, I'm not really sure how it's going to go for Keith. But I'll go with him, to keep him company._

_Sincerely,_  
_Lance_

* * *

 

The old shack Keith used to live in is still in tact, the door hinges creak loudly when he opens it though, as if it could break at any given moment. Everything is left the way it used to be, not a single furniture or knick-knack out of place. It's dusty and without even needing to concentrate on looking you could see the dust particles floating about.

He opens the window, only to air out the place, the loud creak the windows make forcing him to be gentle with his movements. Lance is standing in the middle of it all, taking in the place with this sad and sympathetic smile on his face. Keith looks away, doesn't know why a part of him feels as if Lance belonged here, in his old home, with him.

"I think," he starts, catching Lance's attention as he quirks an eyebrow at him. "I think I'm going to clean up for a bit. You can...make yourself at home, I guess," he says, awkwardly gesturing to the dusty old couch.

Lance sends him a look of contemplation, brows furrowed and lips pursed. "I'll help, I don't mind," he says, catching Keith's gaze and offering a comforting smile that Keith finds himself to embarrassed to hold.

They set out with rags and dusters, getting rid of the many layers of dust that coated the entire shack. Keith pauses every second to take in whatever he comes in contact with, nostalgia sitting heavily in the pit of his stomach. Lance on the other hand stops to examine every nook and craney of the place, curiousity getting the best of him.

It takes almost the whole day, but at least the shack is much more liveable now. White bedsheets are hung outside, blowing gently in the wind like a sail to a sailboat, a fond memory floats into his mind, his laughter mixed with his father's as he runs about hiding from him in the large sheets. The air is also much less difficult to inhale now, the dust particles in the air minimized as best as they could.

He's looking about then, properly examining through each knick-knack on the various shelves that they owned. His room is pretty much left the same with posters of stereotypical round headed and sharp chined green aliens along with leftover diagrams and maps that once lead to the Blue Lion's whereabouts. A desk is shoved to the corner, his bed against the wall and directly under the window.

His father's room, slightly bigger and more spacious than his, nights where he would crawl under the sheets to sleep beside his father and go unnoticed until morning, effectively startling the daylights out of him, making him smile at the memory. Keith remembers nights after his father death, crawling into the sheets and crying himself to sleep. He remembers when he finally shut the door to this room, vowing never to step foot in here again.

"Keith?" He starts at the sound of Lance's voice, turning to find him by the front door with a bag of groceries in his arms.

Keith blinks,watching as Lance strolls in the house like he owned the place, placing the groceries on the kitchen counter before turning to face him. He doesn't know what happens, but his brain kind of short circuits at the thought of the both of them being domestic. Lance should have said 'I'm home' instead, he ponders lightly before immediately shoving that thought to the depths of his mind.

"You okay?" He questions, Keith quickly turning away to hide the on coming blush.

"Yes," he mumbles, hand moving to cover the bottom half of his face. "I'm gonna, look through some stuff," he says, meeting Lance's soft gaze as he nods.

Keith heads over to the large shelf at the end of his father's room, books and several boxes piled on to it. Curiously, he reaches over to a box to lift open the lid, several cassettes sat in the box, old songs he vaguely remembers from mornings where his father would play them. He picks one up curiously, examining it before suddenly remembering the cassette player that sat in the living room.

Lance watches him cross the room in curiousity, heading over to the cassette player and inserting the tape. He pressed the button, a familiar thing he would do whenever his father would want to listen to these songs. Indistinguishable sounds play at first, but then the song starts up, a nostalgic beat filling up the silence of the house.

" _Sun is shinnin' in the sky, there ain't a cloud in sight--_ "

"Mr. Blue Sky," he catches Lance saying, their gaze meeting as both of them break out into a smile.

"You know this song," Keith says, eyes twinkling in amusement.

Lance winks, walking over to him with a bounch in his step. "You underestimate my knowledge in music," he says holding a hand out to Keith.

Keith stares at the outstretched hand, following the length of the arm to meet Lance's eyes and immediately blushing beat red.

"Um," he says, Lance rolling his eyes and pulling him in himself.

" _Mister blue sky please tell us why you had to hide away for so long--_ "

Keith's steps are wobbly and uncoordinated, tripping over himself several times and being caught by Lance. They twirl around the room, Lance holding Keith up with this charming smile on his face as Keith struggles to keep up. He is honestly in awe at how Lance can move about in such a cramped space without letting any of them hit something.

Keith can't really keep the smile off his face when the chorus hits again, glancing up at Lance to see him mouthing the words to the song and staring down at Keith in a way that makes his knees weak. He laughs, watching the ends of Lance's mouth twitch in response before swooping down to kiss Keith on the lips.

" _Hey there mister blue sky we're so pleased to be with you, look around see what you do, everybody smiles at you--_ "

Lance moves down to his jaw, humming to the song as Keith tilts his head back, a laugh escaping him as Lance keeps their bodies swaying. He moves up to catch his lips again, tongue licking across Keith's bottom lip as Keith pushes him into a near by wall. His hands are in Lance's hair in seconds, tilting his head for a better angle as tongue meets tongue.

" _Mister blue, you did it right, but soon comes mister night creepin' over--_ "

A moan, Keith doesn't know whose, all he knows was that he is here, with Lance.

" _Now his hand is on your shoulder, nervermind I'll remember you this, I'll remember you this way--_ "

A hand creeps up under his shirt, nimble fingers lightly grazing over his bare hips. He pulls away, trailing wet kisses down Lance's slender neck and stopping to suck on the skin near his clavicle. Lance's hands roam further up, tracing over each vertebra slowly, so painfully slow.

" _Mister blue sky, please tell us why you had to hide away for so long, where did we go wrong--_ "

* * *

 

Lance wakes up to the sun in his eyes, blinking, he looks up, Keith soundly asleep in his arms. Keith's arms are wrapped loosely around Lance's waist, legs tangled around each other. He was warm, warm and comfortable from the cold morning. A few pieces of hair fall on his eyelids, Lance reaching out to brush them away.

The blinds flap leisurely in the wind, stray sunlight falling on to them. Keith looked at peace, small puffs of breath coming out of his mouth. Lance stares, savouring the moment. The peace is delicate, he was afraid that any movement would break the peace, ruin the look of pure bliss written on Keith's face.

He kisses his chin anyway, because the urge to do so was was strong. The motion causes Keith to stir though, eyes blinking at the sunlight before meeting Lance's gaze. He groans, arm moving from Lance's waist to shield his eyes. Lance chuckles, sitting up and moving to get out of bed, but is immediately pulled back down again by Keith.

"Don't go, I need warmth," he mutters into the pillows. Lance rolls his eyes, letting him rest against his chest.

"I knew I was irresistible, but I didn't think you of all people would be so clingy," he laughs, Keith moving in closer, and if Lance weren't listening so intently for a reply, he wouldn't have caught the soft purr of satisfaction out from Keith. He smirks, hand moving to tangle themselves into Keith's messy bed head.

"Don't get use to it," Keith replies, soft and muffled.

He scoffs. "Already am," he says, smile adoring.

Keith hums in response, already halfway back to slumber land. Lance sighs, gently drawing over Keith's naked back, taking in Keith's old room with their clothes littering the floor in wake of late night desires. He looks back towards Keith's sleeping face, light snores filling up the silence of the room and making him melt as well.

Lance was falling in deep, it makes him wonder sometimes if there was a limit to how long a person could fall, wonders when he will hit the cold hard ground. Maybe, he thinks, that the cold hard ground will be a lot more inviting if he knew what was awaiting him. And maybe, he could reach that place together with Keith. Falling won't be as terrifying, not when someone was falling with you.

* * *

 

_Dear Allura,_

_Aren't wedding bells the most romantic sounds you've ever heard? Keith seems to disagree on this with me, says that the most romantic sound was when I kept my mouth shut. It doesn't make sense, I know, I wonder why I fell for him in the first place._

_Guess what? The whole gang is getting back together! It's a special occasion, I would be dissapointed of any one of us missed this._

_Coran says that he would make the cake, some weird Altean cake, says it was his grandfather's recipe? Hunk interjected of course, almost everyone agreed to let Hunk handle the cake instead while Coran was put in charge of decorations. Pidge was put in charge of songs, and of course with much argument, I'm helping her with it._

_Keith? Keith is a nervous wreck, looks good in a tux though. You would think that after facing so many gruesome battles in space while fearlessly leading us all to save the universe would make him chill out, but no. Maybe I get where's he's coming from, I mean he was chosen as the Shiro's best man, I know I would be nervous._

_Shiro is happy, finally settling down and getting some well deserved rest, still in the Garrison though. He came looking for me this one time, asking if I wanted to become a flying instructor there. I hadn't agreed immediately though, I'm still thinking about it. Keith tells me that it's my choice to make, and that he will support me no matter what I choose, I'm so gone for him it's frightening._

_We're all doing very well now actually, we still miss you though. This is the last letter I'm writting to you. I think it's time I start writting new chapter in life, see where the wind takes me._

_Well, that's all I have to say. Good bye, Allura._

_Sincerely,_  
_Lance_

* * *

 

There's a smile on Shiro's face, it's gentle, it's caring, and it's adoring, it's an honest surprise seeing him the way he was. Keith is not far behind him, standing stiff and fidgety, pulling at the high collar of the tux he has on, hands awkwardly out front and clasping each other in a tight and nevous hold. A soft melody fills the air, gentle and yet fills people with a sense of joy and anticipation.

A cake stands by the far end of where Keith stood, tall and proud and honestly one of Hunk's finest work. The front row, Lance, Hunk, Pidge and Coran are seated there, grins bright and gazes eager. They had laughed at how stiff Keith was, teased him that he was even more nervous than Shiro was, which promptly earned them a frightening scowl.

There is a certain silence that follows when the organ music fills the air, breaths are being held, heads are turning, a certain calm that washes over the audience. Shiro is bright eyed, smile reaching his eyes as the groom strolls down the aisle. Keith smiles, fond and happy whereas Hunk is already close to tears. Both Lance and Pidge are victims to Hunk's quiet sobbing fest, Coran joining him as well, amusingly enough.

It is at that moment when the room collectively holds their breaths as the vows are being made that Lance and Keith meets each others eyes. They share a smile, alarming similar to the ones the two grooms share, it's of adoration, fondness and something deeper, something that they have yet to explore together. But as the bells ring to seal the two lovers fate, both Lance and Keith come to a conclusion as well.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not afraid to admit that once I got the two of them together I immediately went all out with the cuddles and the kisses and all those mushy things. Guilty.
> 
> Why'd you have to die Adam, I could have written a beautiful wedding for you and your hubby. Don't get the wrong idea though, I don't hate Cutis, he was just too sudden. And then the reveal of the supposed canon shallura? My god, I'm like an ex-shallura shipper and that did some damage to me.
> 
> Allura, I love you. If Voltron don't want you I do.
> 
> Escape and Mr. Blue Sky are classics, my sis listens to them to cheer herself up. She even said something about these songs being better than the current ones. 
> 
> Ah well.


End file.
